Curse of Curves
by sukeban-hachi
Summary: A Hisagi Shuuhei/Original Character fic. PLEASE don't be fooled by the OC aspect...Give it a chance. M rating for later chapters. Prior to current events, so a little AU.
1. Chapter 1

Curse of Curves

CHAPTER ONE:

Keiki slept on her stomach, her back bare. Tangled black hair stood out against the white sheets her long legs were tangled in. A shrill alarm went off, prompting a heavy banging from the floor below. The tenet next door swore and began to shout, "Turn that fucking thing off! Turn it off, Keiki!" followed by more banging. A small hand shot out and hit the alarm off the upside-down cardboard box that acted as a nightstand for the girl in the bed. Sitting up and stretching, Keiki grimaced and placed one hand on her forehead. Looking over to the side, she eyed the tiny bag of white pills dubiously. Digging under her pillow, she found a different bag, this time holding blue pills. Grinning, she took a small handful and threw them down her throat, swallowing them dry.

Piling her hair on top of her head, she strolled out of her tiny apartment wearing a non-descript outfit of jeans and a grey t-shirt. A few black curls fell from the hastily thrown together ponytail as she hurried through the streets with a small tote-bag. On her feet was a pair of sneakers, dirty and worn with use. The night air smelled like a combination of cheap perfume and cigarettes, and Keiki kept her head down and her eyes averted from any other passersby. Stopping at a cart on the corner, Keiki bought cigarettes and water. The dirty man running the stand leered at her, and then winked. "Have a good night at work now, luv. I'll be seeing you later tonight." Keiki rolled her eyes and moved on her way, thinking '_I bet you will, greasy bastard'. _Running up to the door of a dirty building, she slid a card into an electronic lock and slipped inside.

"Eric, can you walk me home at the end of my shift tonight? That street vendor's being a bit creepy again." The large bouncer put one large hand on Keiki's head and grinned, messing with her hair.

"Of course, sweetie. That's half my job, right?" Keiki grinned at him, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Your favorite part, no doubt." It didn't take her long to make her way back to the dressing room her and the other girls used to get ready. Throwing her bag down at her station, Keiki collapsed into her chair and took a pair of nine-inch heels covered in hard, plastic 'diamonds' colored a tacky pink. The black fabric of the shoe had worn to show some white. Keiki grabbed a sharpie and colored it in, then stripped off her jeans and t-shirt, changing into her work uniform.

******************

A dark figure stood silently upon a telephone pole, looking out into the night. A tiny black figure floated at his shoulder. Turning his face to look behind him, a pale sliver of moonlight illuminated his cheek, revealing a scar and a strange tattoo.

"Oooooooooooooiii! Hiisssaaaggggiiiiii!"

The man grimaced. The source of the uproar slammed into him from the side. Both landed easily on their feet, with Hisagi glaring at his attacker. "Madarame. Please, we are on official Shinigami business. "

"Even so, we get to go to a strip club to do it. They say this girl's giving off a signal that'll bring Hollows lumbering into town from all over the place." Abarai Renji sauntered out of the shadow, bopping a fist on top of his friend's shiny, bald head. "Doesn't mean you should be that drunk." All three were all wearing gigai, allowing them to move and be seen by humans. "Now, let's head out. This thing is tighter than it used to be, I think."

Madarame snickered. "Maybe you should stop eating so much when we come here, Abarai. Freeloader." The two bickered the entire trip to the club, while Hisagi just thrust hands into his pockets and kept pace with them. It wasn't in his nature to get involved in childish squabbles.

The pounding music could be heard half a block away from the club. Garish neon lights advertised the contents within, spelling out 'NUDE GIRLS!', or the name of a particular cheap, watery beer. Hisagi's lip curled upward at the sight. Not only was it a strip club, but it was obviously a very cheap, derelict strip club. '_Not that strip clubs are all that classy to begin with.'_, he thought. He had agreed with the decision to seek out and recruit all humans with innate strong spiritual abilities, like Kurosaki Ichigo, in order to train more Substitute Shinigami.

'_I didn't think it would land me in a hole like this, though.' _Following a grinning Abarai and a gleeful Madarame, Hisagi tried to avoid touching the handle as they walked into the heat of the strip club. Lazy spirals of smoke rose from burning red cigarettes smoked by the stinking old men at the bar and shouting University students alike. _'Los Angeles. What a disgusting city.' _Numerous teams made up of high-ranking members of each squad of the Gotei 13 were scattered across the world, searching for the sources of subtle yet strong pulsations of energy. They had been sent to the United States. Others were in London, Amsterdam, Berlin. Hisagi was quite bitter that he had ended up in the middle of a desert in what had to be the dirtiest city he had ever encountered.

The three shinigami slipped into a booth, Renji ordering them a round of American beer. Leaning back and taking a long swig of his, Hisagi stared at the stage, his eyes devoid of any lust or fascination at the display in front of him. Madarame was laughing as he slapped a hand on Hisagi's back with a wide grin.

Then the music stopped, and the room went dark. The room began to erupt into drunken boos and slurred cheers as a violent bass began to pound through the club. Madarame and Abarai were both leaning back, salacious grins on their face as two young human girls sat on their laps. Madarame smirked and nudged Hisagi. "Hey, they don't look to be the one we want, but I think I should investigate fur-"

He was cut off when the stage was lit up once more, albeit not as bright as it had been before. A single silhouette slinked onto the stage, obviously the next 'entertainer'. The bar had quieted down when she appeared, but a hum of anticipation continued to hang in the air. Hisagi's turned to stare at the stage, his interest piqued. Slightly.

Three dim spotlights lit up the stage illuminating a girl with her back to the audience, her skin smooth and tan as she delicately raised one arm into the air. The music continued to pulse, and her slim body began to twist with it. The movements were not the mechanical grind of the rest of the girls in the room, but slow and exotic. Hisagi leaned forward, finally grinning over at Abarai. No matter how reserved or mature he was, a naked girl was still a naked girl. And somehow, this one had him hypnotized. Hisagi felt Madarame nudge him, but wouldn't take his eyes off the girl on the stage. Bending over before rotating her hips and turning around, the girl kept her eyes closed as she moved. Madarame clapped him on the back and hooted. Abarai's face was furrowed in concentration, staring at a wildly beeping cell phone in his hand. "Guys. It's her. The shinigami candidate. It's the fucking stripper."

********************

Keiki walked off the stage, pulling money out from where it had been tucked into the lace of her panties and tacky garters. Grabbing her t-shirt and pulling it on, she rested her hands on her vanity station and closed her eyes. Sitting down in her chair, she propped her feet up on the shabby counter and leaned her head back. Ebony hair fell down around her shoulders as she pulled out ridiculous pony-tails and massaged her scalp. Sighing deeply, she opened her eyes and looked into the mirror. Which reflected three oddly-dressed men standing behind her, each one more bizarre looking then the last. Swiveling the chair around and letting one leg drop to the floor while resting an arm on the other, Keiki furrowed her eyebrows. _Well now. That's interesting._ She was particularly impressed with the brightly dyed hair and tribal tattoos decorating the tallest. If they were in the private area of the club, and she had never seen them before, there was only one explanation.

No one else could see them.

Keiki stood up and sighed deeply before pushing past them to where her jeans had been slung over a stool. Pulling them on, she grabbed her bag and stormed out. Eric stopped her at the door. "You're not done, sweetcakes."

"Tell them I had a death in the family. Gotta get out of here." She had been seeing things others could not since she was a small child. It was most definitely not something she enjoyed. Kissing Eric on the cheek, Keiki hurried out into the street. Taking an immediately left and walking swiftly down the alley beside the club, she waited until they were against a high fence before turning around and glaring down the three men who had followed her. They had stuck with her, although the red….no, more magenta-haired one was scratching his head in confusion. "So? Are you here to complement me on my dancing from beyond the grave? Or is there a better reason for waltzing into my place of business and spooking around."

Madarame nudged Abarai with his elbow and coughed. Abarai leaned over and whispered to Hisagi; "Techincally, since your taichou is…gone, you're the highest ranked here. Uh, so you tell her." Hisagi sent him a withering glare. "Coward.", he shot back under his breath. Stepping forward, he cleared his throat. "Well…as you can see, we are spirits. Your ability to see and touch us, as well as other spiritual apparitions is a sign that you have a higher level of spiritual energy then most humans. We are here to recruit you-". The look on the girl's face remained stone cold. Things were not going very well. Pushing Hisagi aside, Madarame held out his hand in a grand gesture. "We are shinigami, those who send departed souls to the beyond. We are here to recruit you for a war, a war that has been raging-"

"Nice sonnet there, buddy, but I don't really have any idea what you're talking about. And I absolutely have no interest." Keiki pushed her way through them, glancing up at the scarred shinigami's face and the odd tattoo there. "Nice ink, perv."

Hisagi's mouth fell open, at a complete loss as to what she was talking about. What was perverted about a tribute to the man who had saved him when he was only a child? Abarai shrugged at him, as did Madarame. Turning around, the girl had already disappeared. Madarame slapped one hand against his forehead and gestured for them all to chase after her. At the same time, three alarms went off simultaneously. Each shinigami checked his Hollow-locating device and swore. It was right around the corner, and there was no doubt as to whom he was going after.

"Shit." All three of them said, simultaneously.

********************

Keiki backed up slowly. Her bag fell to her feet, a roll of dirty singles tumbling out onto the oily concrete. Clutched in her shaking hand was a can of pepper spray, futilely aimed at the monstrosity before her. Red eyes burned out from behind a chalky white mask, surrounded by rippling green tentacles. The thing was breathing heavily, and she could smell the heavy, moist scent of it from where she stood. Bile rose in her throat, and Keiki counted the fact that she was too broke to buy food as a blessing. Her mouth dry, her heart fluttered quickly with fear, everything enhanced by the amphetamines she had driven into her system. A huge roar knocked her from her feet, and she grabbed her bag and began to scramble backwards as she tried to scream. All of her breath was gone. A clawed hand slammed into her slide, throwing her across the street and into her apartment building.

Hisagi swore. "Aw…FUCK! It's already got her." Abarai Renji just grinned as he brought out his zanpaktou and sliced it through the air to his side. Shooting into the air, he slammed it cleanly through the middle of the Hollow's mask. Without waiting to see what he knew without a doubt would happen, he ran to Hisagi, who held the girl in his arms. "So?"

Hisagi's face was grim. "We gotta get her out of here. She's pretty banged up."

"How the Hell are we supposed to know where to take her?!" Madarame shouted. Frustrated, he shook her until Hisagi pushed him away with an annoyed glare. "WHERE DO YOU LIVE?"

"Oi! Not the best idea." Abarai pulled Madarame back and leaned down over the girl and poked her. Hisagi pushed him away and pulled her up higher against his chest and tilted his head down so he could hear a hoarse whisper.

*************

She couldn't breathe anymore. She couldn't see she couldn't...but her body burned with pain, her hands sticky with blood where they grasped her stomach. Coughing racked her body, blood spurting from her lips and nose. Keiki closed her dim eyes, hearing the sound of scraping feet bring the creature closer. God she was cold. The stink of the concrete and the breath of the nightmare made flesh filled her nostrils as she lay there, helpless. Warm arms lifted her up into oblivion. Shouts filled her ears, strange names echoing and fading through the night. Someone shouting questions at her, shaking her roughly, asking where she lived. Coughing up another mouthful of blood, she gestured at the building, words bubbling out through the pain. "In there. In there. 4B…" Finally, blessedly, the world went dark.

The door kicked open by Madarame, the three men walked into a tiny dark apartment. Hisagi flicked the light on, and all three stopped in shock. The room was small, empty save a large mattress covered in clean white sheets, an old lamp and an upside-down cardboard box. An ancient alarm clock was upside down on the floor. Cautiously, they crept in. It was not far from the Spartan conditions they lived in while in Soul Society. Madarame tore the top sheet off the bed and began tearing it into strips, Hisagi sat down then dropped the girl onto the mattress and examining the three long tears in her skin. They were deep, but not deep enough to kill her if the bleeding stopped soon. She had hit her head when she slammed into the building, but already her eyelids were fluttering open. Hisagi sat back on his heels, calm. "Get her wrapped up, and then we'll fill her in." A deep breath filled his lungs and he looked over at Abarai. Renji was scratching the back of his head with a glare.

"Well, this is already kind of going to shit."

"Yeah, you think?" Hisagi looked back down. Madarame was finishing up his work on binding up her wounds. She sat up and looked at them, then looked down at her chest. Touching the side of her face, she grimaced when she felt the raw flesh. Those wide, green eyes that had so surprised him turned to his and he swallowed, not unaware of how hard it suddenly was to draw breath. Hair matted with blood and grime, her face dirtied and damaged, she was beautiful. Not like the girl he had seen moving with agonizing abandon on the stage not an hour ago, despite the smeared makeup that had been heavily applied around her eyes.

A ragged gasp suddenly exploded from her lips as she grasped her side. Examining herself, she moaned and looked back up at them. "What, you didn't think it was important to take me to a hospital? It's not like I don't have insurance. It may be dirty work, but they do provide you with health. And dental." Her face was tightly drawn in pain beneath the sarcastic words, pale and clammy. "I'm going to County General. Although who knows what I'm going to tell them about how it happened. Not like I could have gotten clawed by a bear in the middle of East Los Angeles."

Hisagi stared. Dental? What was Dental? Insurance? Before he could continue his questions, the girl had already stood and was walking stiffly to the bathroom. Her breath remained shallow and her eyes were half-closed but she managed to get to her bag where Abarai had dropped it when they came in. Picking it up, she headed towards the door. "I'm going to the hospital. I count on you following me so I don't get raped at gunpoint? This isn't the best side of town." He glanced at Abarai, who had a confused expression on his face as he scratched the back of his neck. Madarame shrugged. They followed behind her as she stormed out the door.

**********

Keiki strolled out of the hospital, finally clean and stitched up, her face bandaged and a prescription for her favorite candy, vicodin in her hand. Holding up the tiny bottle, she grinned widely. They had given her a shot of ativan while she was inside, and it hummed through her veins making her warm and sleepy. Tying the lace of the baggy scrub pants they had given her at the hospital to replace the torn and bloody clothes she had arrived in, Keiki turned and grinned at the boys. "So? Enjoy your first visit to a human world hospital?" The three of them looked sick. She turned away and laughed, stretching her arms into the air. The barest glimpse of her back showed, and Hisagi found himself looking away with a blush. Despite the scant amount of skin shown, it triggered the memory of her first seconds on stage.

On top of that, he had never seen anything like the clinic they had gone to. Learning her name was Keiki from her insurance card, driver's license, the forms she filled out…It was amazing how long it took her to actually see a doctor, despite the gaping wounds crossing her stomach and arching down her sides. Once they were in an exam room, the three of them watched as the doctor brutally stapled the edges of the gashes together. Abarai nudged Hisagi. "I've seen one of those before. It's used to bind paper together." They looked at each other and grimaced. And she preferred this to the care she would have gotten from the 4th squad captain? Through it all, they sat by her and explained who they were and what had attacked her. She focused intently, using it as a distraction while the doctor pulled broken glass and tiny stones out of her cheek. They introduced themselves in the American manner, and she smiled and repeated each one back. Despite being aware of the culture difference, Hisagi found himself thrown off each time she used his first name.

They cleaned her off after they finished stitching her up. And now she stood before them, drugged to an inch of her life with a sweet, sleepy smile on her face. The contrast between this young girl and the hardened stripper who captivated them all on the stage made him lose his breath. "So, shinigami, why is it that I'm being attacked by one of these Hollows. Furthermore, why are you three here going to strip clubs so that you can sneak backstage and stalk me?" Her tone was amiable despite the harshness of her words.

Hisagi took a deep breath then cleared his throat. "Earlier, in the club, I tried to tell you. You have an abnormally high…" He was at a loss for words to explain what reiatsu was to her. "You can see spirits, and ghosts. You see us, you can TOUCH us and speak to us. Surely you know that makes you special." Keiki turned around and wrinkled her nose at the word as if she found it distasteful. "That all means that you have power like we do. We hope to train you as a shinigami, to fight Hollows. To fight in a war that will affect your world as well." Without a word of reply, she faced front and continued to walk through the streets.


	2. Chapter 2

The door kicked open by Madarame, the three men walked into a tiny dark apartment. Hisagi flicked the light on, and all three stopped in shock. The room was small, empty save a large mattress covered in clean white sheets, an old lamp and an upside-down cardboard box. An ancient alarm clock was upside down on the floor. Cautiously, they crept in. It was not far from the Spartan conditions they lived in while in Soul Society. Madarame tore the top sheet off the bed and began tearing it into strips, Hisagi sat down then dropped the girl onto the mattress and examining the three long tears in her skin. They were deep, but not deep enough to kill her if the bleeding stopped soon. She had hit her head when she slammed into the building, but already her eyelids were fluttering open. Hisagi sat back on his heels, calm. "Get her wrapped up, and then we'll fill her in." A deep breath filled his lungs and he looked over at Abarai. Renji was scratching the back of his head with a glare.

"Well, this is already kind of going to shit."

"Yeah, you think?" Hisagi looked back down. Madarame was finishing up his work on binding up her wounds. She sat up and looked at them, then looked down at her chest. Touching the side of her face, she grimaced when she felt the raw flesh. Those wide, green eyes that had so surprised him turned to his and he swallowed, not unaware of how hard it suddenly was to draw breath. Hair matted with blood and grime, her face dirtied and damaged, she was beautiful. Not like the girl he had seen moving with agonizing abandon on the stage not an hour ago, despite the smeared makeup that had been heavily applied around her eyes.

A ragged gasp suddenly exploded from her lips as she grasped her side. Examining herself, she moaned and looked back up at them. "What, you didn't think it was important to take me to a hospital? It's not like I don't have insurance. It may be dirty work, but they do provide you with health. And dental." Her face was tightly drawn in pain beneath the sarcastic words, pale and clammy. "I'm going to County General. Although who knows what I'm going to tell them about how it happened. Not like I could have gotten clawed by a bear in the middle of East Los Angeles."

Hisagi stared. Dental? What was Dental? Insurance? Before he could continue his questions, the girl had already stood and was walking stiffly to the bathroom. Her breath remained shallow and her eyes were half-closed but she managed to get to her bag where Abarai had dropped it when they came in. Picking it up, she headed towards the door. "I'm going to the hospital. I count on you following me so I don't get raped at gunpoint? This isn't the best side of town." He glanced at Abarai, who had a confused expression on his face as he scratched the back of his neck. Madarame shrugged. They followed behind her as she stormed out the door.

*****************

Keiki strolled out of the hospital, finally clean and stitched up, her face bandaged and a prescription for her favorite candy, vicodin in her hand. Holding up the tiny bottle, she grinned widely. They had given her a shot of ativan while she was inside, and it hummed through her veins making her warm and sleepy. Tying the lace of the baggy scrub pants they had given her at the hospital to replace the torn and bloody clothes she had arrived in, Keiki turned and grinned at the boys. "So? Enjoy your first visit to a human world hospital?" The three of them looked sick. She turned away and laughed, stretching her arms into the air. The barest glimpse of her back showed, and Hisagi found himself looking away with a blush. Despite the scant amount of skin shown, it triggered the memory of her first seconds on stage.

On top of that, he had never seen anything like the clinic they had gone to. Learning her name was Keiki from her insurance card, driver's license, the forms she filled out…It was amazing how long it took her to actually see a doctor, despite the gaping wounds crossing her stomach and arching down her sides. Once they were in an exam room, the three of them watched as the doctor brutally stapled the edges of the gashes together. Abarai had nudged Hisagi. "I've seen one of those before. It's used to bind paper together." They looked at each other and grimaced. And she preferred this to the care she would have gotten from the 4th squad captain? Through it all, they sat by her and explained who they were and what had attacked her. She focused intently, using it as a distraction while the doctor pulled broken glass and tiny stones out of her cheek. They introduced themselves in the American manner, and she smiled and repeated each one back. Despite being aware of the culture difference, Hisagi found himself thrown off each time she used his first name.

They cleaned her off after they finished stitching her up. And now she stood before them, drugged to an inch of her life with a sweet, sleepy smile on her face. The contrast between this young girl and the hardened stripper who captivated them all on the stage made him lose his breath. "So, shinigami, why is it that I'm being attacked by one of these Hollows. Furthermore, why are you three here going to strip clubs so that you can sneak backstage and stalk me?" Her tone was amiable despite the harshness of her words.

Hisagi took a deep breath then cleared his throat. "Earlier, in the club, I tried to tell you. You have an abnormally high…" He was at a loss for words to explain what reiatsu was to her. "You can see spirits, and ghosts. You see us, you can TOUCH us and speak to us. Surely you know that makes you special." Keiki turned around and wrinkled her nose at the word as if she found it distasteful. "That all means that you have power like we do. We hope to train you as a shinigami, to fight Hollows. To fight in a war that will affect your world as well." Without a word of reply, she faced front and continued to walk through the streets.

**************

It hadn't taken them long to reach her apartment riding a dirty bus through the city. The entire time she slung her body languidly on the seats, staring at him with a contemplative look on her face. Hisagi avoided her gaze, glancing to the side. Both Madarame and Abarai scowled, obviously impatient to get back to Soul Society. Once inside her tiny room, Keiki fell backwards onto her bed, curling up into a ball and grimacing in pain. "Will one of you bring me that bottle of pills they gave me?" Hisagi was reluctant to give them to her, but Madarame grabbed the bottle and tossed it over. Sitting up to swallow a couple, she set the bottle down on the cardboard box.

"You know, because of this Hollow I can't work. Those damn staples don't leave pretty scars." She lifted the box up to reveal a locked box, taking out her tips and sticking them inside. Grabbing an old bag of chips from the floor, she crossed her legs and began to eat. "So basically, I have no way of making any money, my face is busted, I'm in pain until this vic kicks in and soon monsters will be coming after me. You three are more trouble than you're worth." She lay back down, gesturing them to sit. "I'm not very inclined to take you up on this offer, but it appears that I have no choice."

Hisagi struggled to keep the sound desperation out of his voice. "No, you don't. Be reasonable and come with us. There really is no choice here, so let's get moving. That Hollow will be followed by more who have sensed your presence here."

"I didn't say I would do it, just that it appeared as though I had no choice. Death at the hands of those Hollows, or coming away with you?" The taut lines of pain on her face softened slightly as she spoke. "Neither of those sound particularly appealing to me." Gingerly pulling off the scrub top and throwing on a white tank that had been carelessly thrown onto the bed, she glanced back over at him.

"You have some choices of your own, Shuhei" Hearing his voice said in her voice began a subtle burning low inside his stomach, and he found himself forgetting the other two men in the room. Or, he would have, if Abarai's obnoxious voice hadn't burst in. "Choices? What sort of choices? We're here to give the choices, not you!"

Eyes heavy with artificial sleep, she curled inward around her wounds. "I'm not going to this…Soul Society. So, here are YOUR choices. Teach me how to fight those monsters, and then get the Hell away from me. Or, go back to your precious Soul Society knowing you've left me to die." Stretching like a child on the verge of sleep, she gave him a smug smile.

"Now, I'm in no position to make any serious decisions right now. It's time for me to sleep off the horror of what has been the absolute worst night of my life."

Before any of them could protest, she was asleep.

The three of them sat in total silence and watched her sleep for some time. Exactly 10 seconds. Then Madarame began to shake her for the second time in about 2 hours. "What?! Wake up!" Abarai shoved him to the floor and scratched his face as he looked down at the girl.

"We should have had her back by now! They're gonna be here any minute with a gate to bring us back." Abarai looked at Madarame and grinned. They both turned to Hisagi, who had a confused look on his face. Renji grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a serious look. "This is getting to be a problem. Me and Madarame will return and report this to our respective captains."

A gate to Soul Society appeared, and an expectant Kuchiki Rukia walked out. Renji picked her up under one arm, ignoring her protests. Giving Hisagi a cocky grin he sprinted through the gate, Madarame close behind him. "Too slow, Hisagi! Your problem now, dumbass!"

He could only look after them with his mouth open as the gate slid shut and the warm light disappeared. Mindlessly falling to sit on the floor, he slapped one palm onto his forehead. With a rueful grin on his face, he looked down at the sleeping girl. Her face was slightly flushed, her lips parted slightly as she breathed deeply, caught in the throes of sleep. Tangled in the sheets, she looked the way a girl her age should look, innocent and untouched by the horrors of the world. The Keiki he had first met behind the strip club had disappeared the moment her eyes closed.

Hisagi slumped onto the floor beside her bed, leaning back against the wall. Glancing to his left, he saw one tiny window. He dropped his head down, dejected. It was going to be a long 12 hours, if that was indeed how long she would sleep. Turning his gaze back to the girl, he rolled his eyes. She didn't even have much furniture, nowhere for him to sleep but beside her on the mattress…he flushed. The way she had moved her body on stage, the smoothness of her skin up close as he carried her inside. Memories of sensations washed over him before Hisagi shook his head once and lay down beside the mattress. Turning his back to Keiki he drifted off to sleep, the hard, splintered wood of the floor bringing his head back to the right place.


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHORS NOTE: This chapter is particularly long. I didn't want to break it off at an unnatural point.

CHAPTER THREE

Keiki's entire body hurt. Lines of fire burned down from above her navel curving to her hip. Her breath caught at the pain as she slowly sat up and lifted her shirt to look down at her wounds. No, she had not forgotten a moment of the night before, no matter how many pharmaceuticals she had consumed. The reminders were carved across her torso, scraped onto her face. Walking over to her mirror, she felt a vain throb of despair at her face. A tear slid down her face, followed by others as she held one hand up to the heavy bandage on her cheek.

"It'll heal."

Keiki jumped backwards, and then crumpled in pain at the sharp movement. Hisagi caught her before she could reach the hard tile floor and gently stood her on her feet in one swift movement. Keiki turned her head to the side and looked down at one of Hisagi's large hands where it rested on her shoulder. Slightly darker than her light California tan, so large they covered her shoulders completely. Turning her face back up towards his, she placed two hands on his chest and pushed softly.

Hisagi blushed a bright red and jumped back so quickly he fell onto his backside. Grimacing, he looked up at her with a sheepish look on his face. "Ah, be careful! It's slippery!" He sprang to his feet and walked to the side, clearing his throat and shrugging his shoulders in a vain attempt to regain some of his dignity

He walked back toward the bathroom but was greeted by the door slamming in his face and the sound of an old shower struggling to life. His blush returned when he thought about what it meant, then smacked himself on the head for acting like an oversexed boy. The light of day did little to improve the appearance of the apartment, although it did reveal a depressing kitchen and the door to the bathroom, as well as a closet.

He had gone back to the club and picked up his gigai earlier that morning, irritated that he would most likely have to use it the majority of the time now. Hearing the door behind him click open, he turned to ask Keiki if he could take a shower next.

For the third time in about 10 minutes, Hisagi blushed and felt his lower body tighten. Keiki didn't seem to notice, holding the towel up and walking past him to the window to lower the shade. Pulling on a pair of jeans beneath her towel and turning to look at him, she gave him a glare. "What's wrong with you? I've got on about 10x more than I did when you showed up at the club last night. You seemed to have no problem watching me then."

Gesturing at him to turn around, she waited until he was facing the bathroom to take the towel off and throw it to him. Pulling a small t-shirt over her head, she tossed the towel. Hitting him in the back of the head, Hisagi grabbed it before it hit the floor. "Your turn.", she said. When he gave her a stupefied look, she sighed deeply. "You told me you wanted me trained in how to fight the monsters, right? Go take a shower, then we're going to where I want to start."

Hisagi sputtered, frustrated at being ordered around by a woman. More like a bratty kid at the moment, despite her reputation. "Hold on a minute! I never said I would just teach you how to fight them! You're supposed to come with me so that you can be trained back in Soul Society. I don't want to mess around here any longer then I have to."

Keiki glared at her unwanted house guest, her wet hair dribbling down her t-shirt. Running her fingers through it and giving it a little shake, she used the time to think. "Alright, that is perfectly fine. Go ahead and use the shower then, so things can get moving." Leaning against the wall, she sighed and looked down at the floor. "When you get out we'll go."

Hisagi sighed with relief and walked into the bathroom. The squeal of the pipes filling back up drowned out the noise of the apartment door slamming closed.

*************

Hisagi congratulated himself inwardly on a job well done. _'See, all women respond immediately to logic.',_ he thought. The shower water was hot but came out with little pressure. Hisagi scrubbed himself down quickly, amazing and somewhat scared at the numerous bottles wedged onto the tiny shelf of the tiny shower. Picking one up, he recognized it as shampoo from the label and unscrewed it. Lifting it to his nose, he inhaled a light, flowery scent that he immediately recalled as Keiki's hair. Snatching up another one, he depressed the button on the top. A mountain of foam that smelled of soap and strawberries exploded out at him.

Shrieking in a most undignified manner, Hisagi dropped the bottle. Several more showered down off the shelf, clattering around his feet. One had burst open, filling the room with a sharp citrus scent. Recognizing defeat, Hisagi turned the water off and stepped out. God only knows what he would have to endure when he got out. It was not like him to be such a bumbling fool. Towel around his waist, he peeked out his face out.

The room was completely empty.

Hisagi sprung out, barely keeping the towel up in the process. Running over to the mattress, he found a slip of white paper covered in smooth, curved writing.

'_Dear Shinigami:_

_Fuck off. I'm going to the beach._

_Hope you don't need me to go back to your little Wonderworld you're so into or anything._

_Keiki_

Hisagi crumpled the note up in his hand, the grabbed his clothes and pulled them on as he chased her out the door.

****************

Hisagi was not used to being inside a gigai for too long. It was uncomfortable. His feet hurt...'the beach,' she had written. _Of course, there would be 100 beaches in this damn pit._ All day long he had wandered around the dirty desert city, disdainful of how poorly the people of this city treated their poor. The beaches were edged with hard concrete, not soft mounds of sand. _Why the Hell does she want to stay in this place? _He had finally come to the last beach in the city-he had checked it when he first left, but it was close to Keiki's apartment. Close enough that she might be there now that the crowds were gone.

The sun was a violent red, the sky edged with fiery purple. It was beautiful, the first beautiful thing he had seen since they had arrived. He closed his eyes at the image that suddenly flashed into his mind, of Keiki's curves twisting on the stage, the only truly bright thing in the smoky room. _Not the first., _he thought before he could stop himself.Gripping the wooden pier until he felt blisters, Hisagi leaned on the pier. The beaches had strange names: Long Beach. Venice. Manhattan. And this one, Santa Monica.

The sun was setting behind a huge ferris wheel, the silhouette of a roller coaster shining in the dying light. Hisagi looked down at the beach and felt a surge of relief when he saw a slim figure with long black hair. She was wearing pale jeans, a simple t-shirt. He leapt over the side of the pier, bracing his knees for the impact of the sand. Running over to her, he grabbed her arm and jerked her against his chest. Gripping her tightly, he held her out from his chest, hands on her shoulders.

"What the Hell is wrong with you? I know you're pissed about being caught up in all of this, but don't act like such a child. You're in very real danger, I want you to be right by me all the time, right where I can see you!" He was furious. And he had not realized how worried he had been until he had felt her slim frame in his arms. Even now he could feel the smoothness of her skin as his large, sword-roughened hands gripped her shoulders.

His eyes finally focused on her face, staring up at him defiant and angry yet wet with tears. He immediately released her shoulders as if her skin burned his hands. Looking down at the ground, Hisagi reached back to scratch his neck, blushing. "Well, I mean. You should just be careful." Clearing his throat, he glanced back at her. Female shinigamis were not prone to crying. The flash of her green eyes sparkling with tears made his breath catch.

It exploded out in a painful grunt as Keiki brought her bony knee straight up and directly into his balls. Her face had twisted with rage, and she followed the crushing blow by slamming her fist into his face.

"What, because of the fucking _Hollows_? The ones that didn't start bothering me until _you_ and your freak friends showed up?" Keiki glared up at him as he gripped his nose, her eyes inflamed with anger. "If I knew how to kill them myself, then I wouldn't be in any danger, would I? Get lost, creep. I'm sick of you bossing me around all the time." She stormed off, the waves lapping at her feet and ankles. Pressing both of his hands on either side of his nose gingerly, Hisagi glared after her. _Damn, is she strong.,_ he thought. Hisagi glared after her as she stormed further and further away down the beach. Her jeans were rolled up, and the rising tide had begun to splash around her calves, wetting the edges.

Suddenly, the pager at his hip began to buzz and beep. _Oh, FUCK._

And further down the beach, a Hollow exploded out from underneath the sand.

***************************

Kazeshini flashed through the air with a clink of chains, released before he had uttered a single word. The disgusting Hollow already had Keiki. Thick, ropy arms and distorted hands gripped her up against its mask. The Hollow's long, black tongue flicked out and licked her cheek. Keiki was paralyzed with fear, staring at Hisagi with absolute horror in her eyes. The Hollow's eyes burned as it turned towards Hisagi. "Pretty girl…" One distorted hand slid down her thighs, and then traced its way back up to grip Keiki by the neck. "Pretty girls always have the sweetest souls…don't they, shinigami?"

Keiki screamed, a look of pure panic on her face. Her body was shaking violently, dark red blood staining through her white bandages and t-shirt. Roaring, Hisagi leapt from the ground and easily looped Kazeshini around the Hollow's neck, jerking him to the ground before slicing cleanly through his mask.

Reiatsu exploded from the souls of his feet, shooting him directly under Keiki as the girl fell. Arms open, he caught her smoothly before her head slammed into the firmly packed sand. Surprised to find himself letting out a long sigh of relief, Hisagi looked down at Keiki. Her gaze was fixed on him, her eyes still blind with fear…this Hollow had been much more frightening then the last one she faced. She still shook, her hands gripping the black cloth of his Shihakuso tightly. _God damn it. _He set her down slowly, prying her fingers loose. He could barely breathe, terrified that she would shatter in his arms. Almost immediately Keiki crumpled to the sand.

Returning his zanpaktou to his side, he glared down at the girl kneeling and shaking in the sand. Standing there, looking down at her, Hisagi felt the intense pulse of her reitsu. _Amazing. Like Kurosaki ichigo's…but without the slightest hint of killer intent. _He remembered the last time he had felt it, the signal that had attracted Abarai Renji's attention back at the club. It had been subtle, sensual, wrapping around him seductively. He had never felt a reitsu like that, so warm and bright. Hisagi narrowed his eyes down at Keiki. _What a foolish thought._

Keiki had stopped shaking, the reitsu subsiding. She stood up slowly, unsure on her feet, holding her arms out to her sides for balance. Hisagi grabbed her upper arm, jerking her firmly against his side and springing back to her apartment in a few brief flash-steps. When she was safely within her apartment, Hisagi finally took a breath and realized the full extent of his rage. Infuriated at himself for being stupid and at her for tricking him, he tossed her lightly onto the mattress that served as her bed. Raking his hands through his hair, he stormed into the tiny kitchen and grabbed Keiki's bag from the counter. Ruffling through it, he found the bandages the hospital had sent back with them. Swearing as he unwrapped her stained bandages, he sat back on his knees.

"I really fucked up this time…didn't I?" Keiki's eyes were overflowing with tears, her hands holding the skin together where a staple had popped out. Hisagi sighed, glad that was the extent of the damage. The multiple gaping wounds from the night before had been beyond his knowledge of healing kidou, and of course Abarai and Madarame had been completely useless. But this, he could help. Cupping his hands over the wound, warm light flowed out and healed the opened wound.

Taking her head in his hands, he did the same to the smashed cheekbone that had hit the street the night before. Keiki stared at him, startled at this sudden ability of his. "Please don't tell me you could've done this before, and didn't?" The slim girl sat up, gingerly pulling up her shirt and wrapping the new bandages around herself. Hisagi stood up and turned his face away-she was uncannily unaware of being bare in front of him, or anyone else for that matter. None of the girls Hisagi had ever come across were that casual with their bodies. Steeling himself against her curves, he turned around with anger tightening his mouth.

"No, I couldn't. But there is someone in Seireitei who could. Smooth away the scars, too. And no more goddamn HOLLOWS would come after you, and you'd be…" _Safe with me. _"You'd become strong." Tossing her the bottle of painkillers he had been gripping in one hand, Hisagi jerked his head towards the bed. "Tomorrow we start training. When you're done, we're leaving"

****************************

Keiki caught the pills in one hand, a bit of her spark returning as he ordered her around. "Fine. I'm not going to argue over that, not anymore." Popping two of the pills into her mouth, she swallowed them dry then looked up at him, suddenly hugging her knees up to her chin. "Why did you volunteer to do this? You really don't seem to like it here, and so far it looks like it isn't the easiest job in the world."

Hisagi glanced over at her, a faint ghost of a smile playing over his face. "It would be much easier if I hadn't been given such an infuriating target."

Much to his surprise, Keiki burst out into laughter, a shocking sound, one he hadn't heard yet. Genuinely amused, she sounded almost like a little kid. "Well, now. You slay monsters, you heal wounds, and you crack jokes. Quite the triple threat." Hisagi's face furrowed into a frown, a light blush warming his tan face. Grabbing his hand, Keiki pulled Hisagi down to the mattress and nudged him with her shoulder. "Thanks, shinigami. Shuuhei. I'll try to stop being such a bitch, I promise." Hisagi sat, his arm thrown across one knee as he began to recline lazily, acutely aware of how close he was to the girl.

When he turned to respond to her, he saw Keiki watching him pensively, her eyes suddenly serious. "I do want to know, though. Why you're here. Why you're so desperate to bring me back and have me fight against this Aizen guy." Her head was resting sideways on her knees so she could see him, the drugs beginning to make her eyelids heavy. Hisagi tore his gaze away and remembered the image of his Captain, the man he had admired so much. The sight of him abandoning the Gotei 13 with Aizen, who had betrayed them all. The one who had taught him everything. Who had shaped him into the shinigami he was today, seeming to abandon his principles and justifying his actions with empty words. The memory made him sick.

"Justice." It was the only answer he could give her, his feelings of hurt and betrayal too raw to expose to a strange girl. "You…we never knew there were humans with as much…spiritual energy as you. And we need you." Hisagi sighed shakily, running his fingers through his hair, staring straight ahead. "You might think that this is not your battle, that you have no reason to care, but…it is. Whether or not you like it, you have the soul of a shinigami, the heart of one. I've seen it, already. Your heart is stro-"

She had moved almost into his lap, turning his face towards hers slowly, her fingers soft. "Shh…, she whispered, pressing one finger against his lips, then stroking his tattoo, tracing the outline of the number there. "Stop.", she said softly. Hisagi lost his breath, unable to comprehend what was happening, amazed at the strength of his body's reaction to her nearness. "You…you're very sweet, Shuuhei…but…please…stop." Before he could say a word, her lips were against his, tentative and teasing at first, her breath sweet and warm.

*****************************

Something took hold of him, a sudden need to be closer to her. Grabbing her arms roughly, he pulled her against him, groaning when her legs wrapped around his waist. Her scent was all around him; he couldn't breathe or think…hands were running up his chest, pulling his shirt above his head. The cool air of Los Angeles at night brought goosebumps out on his skin, and he closed his eyes to enjoy the way her hands felt, how her hair smelled, her warmth.

His hands skimmed down to her waist, pulling her closer to him. He rested one hand on her lower back, pressing his palm against the soft skin of her lower back. Tangling his fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck, Hisagi tilted Keiki's head back and brushed his lips across her pulse. The soft sigh of her response shot fire into his blood and he growled slightly, re-claiming her lips roughly. Her body wriggled against his, driving all rational thought from his mind.

Then he remembered where he was, and who she was.

Pushing the girl off of his lap firmly, he gripped her shoulders, feeling his entire body tight with self-control. He breathed heavily, unable to tear his eyes away from hers. "Stop. Taking advantage of a scared girl…that is not the kind of man I am. Go to bed, Keiki." He turned his face away from the look of hurt shock on her face, staring at the floor. "I'll sleep across the room, on the floor. We're leaving to train tomorrow…so sleep well."

Keiki just continued staring at him, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Right. Fine. I forgot I don't get to make any decisions around you.". She curled up into a ball, turning her back to him and angrily slamming a flat pillow down on the bed. It didn't take long for her to drift off to sleep, the narcotics she had taken slowly dragging her down into oblivion.

Hisagi watched over her, silently, cursing himself for more reasons than he could count. For scaring her, for taking advantage, for bringing her into the entire mess in the first place…from the time he had been left behind by Abarai and Madarame, the entire thing had gone completely to shit. _There goes your reputation back in Seireitei, fool._, he thought. The quiet chime of a Death Butterfly brought his attention back to the present, and he held out his finger. The message was brief: _We're setting up a permanent connection in her apartment, train her in Death Valley._

He swore. Standing up and clenching his fists at his sides, he quickly shed his gigai and shot out the tiny window. She'd crawled right into his lap, unashamed. He was no innocent boy-Hell, he was a soldier, one of the elite, and willing women had never been hard to find. But the girl back at the apartment had two sides, and he couldn't figure out which one was truly her. The pouting, writhing seductress on stage who had wantonly wrapped her legs around his waist, the girl with the jaded eyes and the poison tongue. Or the young girl with the frightened green eyes whose cheeks flushed when she slept, the slight figure he had seen walk on the beach in bare feet.

He hadn't noticed when his course had taken him back to the apartment. Choosing to sit on the roof rather than re-enter the apartment, he watched the sun rise. Again, it was beautiful. Stepping back into the apartment, he leaned back against the wall and watched Keiki sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Keiki rolled over, whimpering in her sleep. Her head no longer rested on her pillow-instead she had wrapped her arms around it, hugging it to her chest tightly. Legs akimbo and hair tangled, Hisagi couldn't help but smirk. Not as tough as she thinks she is after all. Another frightened whimper caused worry to flash across his face, and he leaned in closer to make sure she was ok. Screaming suddenly, Keiki shot up, knocking her forehead right into his nose. Pain blossomed across his face, and Hisagi swore. "Oh my GOD, I think you broke my nose!"

Rubbing her head, Keiki glared at him. "Serves you right for watching me sleep, weirdo. What, I'm not good enough for you to fuck but observing me while I'm passed out on pills is a-OK?". Standing up, Keiki stretched and glared down at him, wandering over to her pitiful excuse for a kitchen. Rummaging through cabinets, she finally found a box of cereal and began to eat it dry, hopping up on the counter to study him. "So, use your little healing juju and let's get out of here so I can find someone else in Soul Society to train me."

Hisagi could do nothing but stare at her in shock. He could feel wet, sticky blood dripping down his face, the pain in his nose having subsided to a dull throb. She had never been polite, but now she was being down right MEAN. "Well tough shit, Princess, because we're staying here now." The words were barely out of his mouth before a gate opened and several peons from the 12th Squad marched in holding a huge TV-like device, setting it down on the floor. A member of the 4th squad followed, holding his hands over a protesting Keiki's wounds and healing them quickly. The gate disappeared, the communication device in its place. The screen flickered, and up popped a picture of Kuchiki Byakuya.

"Hisagi Shuuhei. The decision has been passed down that due to your incompetence in bringing the girl here you are to stay in the real world to train her. We've determined that there is a large uninhabitable area that will be suitable for training purposes, and grounds have already been set up." The unmistakable figure of Urahara Kisuki appeared, his face taking up almost the entire screen. "You'll have to do it yourself. I'm busy training the recruits your more capable comrades brought in. And here we thought you'd have no problem with such a simple assignment. Let's hope you can redeem yourself."

The screen flickered blank. Hisagi's face was contorted with rage, and he whirled around to face the shocked Keiki. Before he could shout at her, she hopped off the counter and walked up to the communication device, kicking the large wires at its base.

"What the HELL is this? First you want me to go to this damn place, now we're supposed to stay here? And you've got all your little friends marching into my apartment, putting their hands all over me then bouncing before I can even speak? Each time I meet one of you people things get worse for me." She kicked the communication device again, then stormed over to him and pointed her finger in his face. "I can't believe I'm stuck with you. Because you're bad at your job I don't get to be trained with everyone else? You SUCK." Emphasizing her words with a hard shove to his chest, Keiki turned to storm off.

Hisagi grabbed one of her wrists, hard, and jerked her up against him. "Listen to me. Stop acting like a child. I thought this was what you wanted? To stay here, in your dirty city taking your clothes off for strangers? You think I want to be around you and your…your…loose morals?!" Letting her go, he gave her a glare. "Now unless you plan on training in a t-shirt and your underwear, get changed. We're getting this whole thing over with right now."

**************

Keiki stood still, refusing to move, her fists clenched down at her sides. Fire burned out from the center of her deep green eyes, her mouth set in a growl of anger. Narrowing her eyes, she opened her mouth and then paused. "Wait. Did you just say you don't want to be around me because of my…loose morals?" Hisagi blushed, but kept his face firm. "What are you, 80 years old?" Turning away from him, Keiki laughed and ran her fingers through her hair then walked over to an overturned laundry basket and began to rummage through the half-folded clothes that had spilled out everywhere. Finding an enormous pair of shorts, she pulled them on then glanced over at him. "Turn around."

Hisagi glanced at her, confused.

Keiki sighed, then pointed one finger in the air and rotated it, speaking slowly, as if to a child. "TURN AROUND. I want to get changed. You're the one who is so uncomfortable with my 'loose morals'." She looked down, unconsciously playing with the hem of her t-shirt.

Hisagi turned around, unsure of what to say. Hearing her clear her throat, he turned back around and then jumped backwards. She was wearing less than she had on before. "What is it you think we're going to be training to do?! Why are you dressed that way?"

"Because, it is HOT in Los Angeles? Because it is even HOTTER in Death Valley? You think I'm going to do any kind of physical exercise wearing one of those ridiculous robe get-ups you all wear? Seriously, they look suffocating. I'm wearing this-deal with it." Keiki adjusted her sports top and sat down on the floor, stretching her legs and arms before hopping up and skipping to the door. "So. You seem determined to start training right now. Instead of ignoring you, like last time, I've decided to make you a deal."

Hisagi had yet to recover from the shock of her running outfit. Aside from her shapeless, baggy shorts, Keiki didn't have much on. He watched silently at the way her back and arm muscled move as she stretched and pulled up her hair. He grimaced inwardly at the pink scar that ran down her entire body, knowing it would be permanent. Finally focusing on what she said, Hisagi returned his gaze to her face. "What? A deal? What kind of deal?"

"It's already late. Even using your fancy little…steps, it'll be dark before we get to Death Valley. Might as well run the beach for an hour or two then sleep here, right?"

Hisagi nodded cautiously. "And? Somehow I doubt that is all there is to this miraculous deal of yours."

"And when we get done…you let me have one last fun night before you take me away. Please?" She folded her hands beneath her chin, her eyes wide with pleading.

"Fine. Whatever." Hisagi kept his gaze toward the window, but couldn't resist checking her reaction out of the corner of his eye. The smug satisfaction he saw on her face made him regret giving in immediately. "Only if this training is rigorous enough for my standards! If it isn't, we're leaving tonight! Tonight!" Keiki was already out the door, a long ponytail swinging behind her as she picked up her pace and began to jog. Catching up with her stride, Hisagi smirked. What a ridiculous training method. Just running.

****************

Hisagi dragged himself behind Keiki into her apartment, collapsing onto the floor beside her mattress. He wanted to strip off his heavy robes and get into a nice hot bath. Shinigami were trained to cover long distances in a short amount of time-a different skill than running at a steady pace for over an hour. And goddamn had she been right about the heat. His robes stuck to his skin in the most unpleasant places while his erstwhile trainee was practically bouncing around her kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from her fridge while dancing around. She had showed him the tiny, bright blue device that she strapped to her arm, had let him listen to the music that came out of it. She'd even laughed at his shocked amazement when video popped up onto the screen.

Dragging himself off the floor, Hisagi grabbed one of the tiny wires coming out of her ears and pulled. She whirled around instantly, irritated. "Yes? You're ruining my post-run jam sesh."

Trying to keep from rolling his eyes, Hisagi gestured to the bathroom. "I want to take a shower."

Keiki grinned, then wrinkled up her nose. "I would have insisted on it if you hadn't brought it up yourself. Like I'd let you come out with me dressed like that and smelling that way. It'd be a complete embarrassment."

Hisagi stared at her in amazement. "Me? I'm not going out." He was not going out. The deal he had agreed to did not require his involvement in her 'last night out', as she had kept calling it. He wasn't even sure where she meant when she said 'out', but he knew he wanted no part of it.

Keiki grinned and pointed towards the shower. "You are. Just go. You know you're going to end up doing what I say eventually, so just go now and save us both the irritation of a fight."

Hisagi glared at her, storming into the bathroom and showering quickly. When he came out, she was already half-undressed and waiting for her turn, a pile of clothes collected from older brothers left out for him. At least he'd be dressed like everyone else.

The door to the bathroom opened, releasing a cloud of fragrant steam and a pink-faced Keiki, already dressed. Standing up quickly when he heard the door open, Hisagi turned to give her a hard time about how long she'd spent.

He stopped in his tracks. It had been time well spent.

The girl in front of him wasn't the jaded stripper, or the boyish young girl wearing her ex-boyfriends jeans and a t-shirt. She was another creature entirely. The black curls of her hair tumbled down her back like fat ribbons of silk. Her tan skin was warm against the jewel-toned green of her dress. Glancing up at him as she gathered all her belongings into an impossibly sized purse, Keiki cleared her throat.

"Hello? Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm ready, let's go."

************

He had never heard such noise in all his life. It came at him from every angle, assaulting his ears. The entire room was reverberating with the sound, the very walls seeming to shake with it. Keiki was beside him, her arms held high above her head as she danced with total abandon, tilting her head up at him and laughing at his expression. Beautiful. She's not yelling at me, which makes being here almost totally worth it., he thought. Not even the sweet joy on her face could make up for the extreme discomfort Hisagi Shuuhei was currently experiencing. Bodies were rubbing up against him from all sides, the air smelled like sweat and countless different cheap perfumes and he had just been charged 10$ for the same American beer that Abarai had spent 5$ on at the strip club. Keiki grabbed his hand, pulling his body against hers. Jerking away, Hisagi glanced up towards the ceiling to hide his blush. Immediately blinded by impossibly bright lights whirling and flashing quickly, Hisagi grabbed Keiki's arm and began to drag her to the door.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing! I want to dance!"

"Don't you get to dance enough at your disgusting job? And how can you dance to that noise?" Hisagi took in a deep breath when they finally made it out of the club and glanced down at Keiki. Glaring up at him, her cheeks were still flushed from the heat of the club, her hair a mess of curls.

"First the 'loose morals' thing, and now 'that noise'? Seriously, how old ARE you?"

Deciding it was in his best interest not to answer, that, Hisagi stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. Keiki rolled her eyes and chased after him, her heels clicking on the sidewalk. Catching up, she grabbed his arm. "Don't you want to have fun, EVER?"

Hisagi stopped cold and turned around, grabbing her arm and dragging her along with him. "Does having fun have to involve so many other humans?"

Keiki sighed and walked beside him, crossing her arms over her chest against the cold. "No. Here, I'll take us somewhere you'll like better."

A few blocks later, Keiki pulled him into a room full of tables. Green tables. Hisagi frowned slightly, resisting the urge to touch the strange fabric or pick up one of the shiny, hard balls rolling around the surface. Keiki looked at him and grinned. "You don't know what pool is?"

Hisagi glared. "I know what a pool is!"

Keiki laughed. "You wait here. Leaving him at one of the tables, she skipped over to a counter and came back a few minutes later holding a large triangle and two long sticks. Still grinning, she placed the triangle on the table and picked it up, revealing that it had held a set of the special balls. "Ok. The point of the game is to put all of your balls into the pockets. You can be either the solid ones, or the striped ones." Keiki kept talking as she picked up one of the sticks, placing a solid white ball in front of the triangle. Taking the stick in her hand, she bent over.

Hisagi blushed and turned his face away, glaring down at the floor. She continued talking, unaware of how revealing the angle was from his perspective. Glancing up, he saw an older man looking appreciatively at Keiki. Shooting him a murderous glare, Hisagi moved closer to Keiki and leaned down to her level to watch what she was doing.

"So, to get the ball in the pocket you use the stick. The trick is to line the stick up at a particular angle…" He wasn't really listening to her, or the rules of the game. Glaring up at him, she cleared her throat. "I'm teaching you! Pay attention!"

Clearing his mind, Hisagi re-focused himself on the rules of the game.

***************

Hisagi glared down at the petite brunette at his side. First she had insisted he learned how to play the game, laughing the entire time. It had been humiliating. Then she had conned five men out of their money by pretending she couldn't play while he glowered at her from the bar. Obviously pleased with herself, Keiki was counting the money and singing softly to herself. The beer he had been drinking was significantly weaker than the sake he would throw back when he was in Soul Society, but Hisagi could still feel some effects.

"Ready for the real fun?"

Hisagi stared at her, open-mouthed. "We're not going to sleep?"

Keiki just laughed and ran to her apartment building, surprisingly fast considering how tall her heels were. Refusing to rush after her, Hisagi strolled behind her, hands stuck in his pockets. Her shoes were off the second they got into the apartment, Keiki tossing them to the floor with a clatter and padding over to her refrigerator. Opening the freezer, she produced a bottle and two short glasses. "Do you shinigami do shots in Soul Society?"

Hisagi let out a short laugh, and then grabbed the bottle from her hand. There was no way this tiny girl was going to be able to keep up with him. _Thank God, maybe it'll knock her out and I won't have to be up all night._, he thought.

Keiki had flipped over a bright orange plastic crate and placed it by her bed. Slamming the bottle down, she held out a glass. Pouring herself the first shot, she threw it back, wincing at the burn before grinning at him. "Alright Shuuhei, show me what you can do!"

Intent on impressing her, Hisagi took the bottle from her and took a huge swig. Pure fire slid down his throat, leaving a dry burn behind. Choking back a gag, Hisagi picked up the bottle and stared at it. "What IS this disgusting drink?"

"You don't have vodka where you come from?"

"In Soul Society we drink as civilized men. Sake is the drink of the civilized man. Not this swill."

Keeping his face blank despite the sharp burn of the vodka, he locked eyes with Keiki and tried to keep from blushing as she laughed at him. "Still, I really think you're taking on more than you can handle."

"Care to make it interesting?" Keiki threw back a shot and grimaced, running back to the fridge to grab two beers, handing one to Hisagi.

"Interesting? I don't understand." Hisagi threw back his own shot.

Keiki laughed and poured them both another shot.

Hisagi downed another shot, choking on the thick vodka. Keiki laughed, and placed her shot on the table. Leaning over, she delicately picked it up with her teeth and jerked her head back. Laughing, she sat back up and caught the glass as it fell from her mouth. "I have an absolutely wonderful idea. Would you like to learn a game from the human world?"


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Hisagi stared across the table at Keiki. She stared back, her face completely blank. Huge eyes peeked over a set of blue cards. "So? Check or bet."

Hisagi scowled. His vision slightly hazy, he stared at the slight glow emanating from Keiki's hair. "I'll…stay? No, it's see. I'll see."

"Alright…show me what you have, shinigami. Let's see if you can hold onto that shirt."

Hisagi stared down at the cards in his hands. They were all black. He lay them down on the table and grinned at her.

"Blacks! Your turn to take something off! I SAY SHIRT!" They had begun the game hours ago. And as they played, he had followed her shot-for-shot. Now the bottle of vodka lay on its side, empty. Keiki's faced was flushed, her eyes bright.

Keiki began to laugh, then laid out her own deck. "Two pair…Shuuhei, blacks does not exist. They all have to be the same suit." She tossed her hair and shuffled through his cards. "Fail. My hand. Give it up, shinigami. Your shirt is mine!"

"Fuck you! You're making that up! Right? You make up the rules as you go along, cheater!" Hisagi banged his fists on the table, reluctantly taking his shirt off and tossing it at her. She caught it and hopped up to dance around the impromptu table, whirling the shirt above her head like a trophy. Hisagi crossed his arms over his chest and tried to stand, tumbling to the floor in the process. Keiki collapsed next to him, laughing and handing him his pants back. "Get dressed. You look ridiculous." Hisagi pulled them on and rolled onto his back, his face flushed, his head spinning.

"You're drunk, shinigami." Keiki rolled onto her stomach and lay next to him, her head resting on her arms as she looked at Hisagi. "Shuuhei…"

"Mmm?" His entire body felt hot. It was different than the feeling that came from drinking sake. He could feel each beat of his heart pounding in his ear, each soft sigh that escaped Keiki's lips as she breathed. Everything around him was hazy.

"After you train me…can I stay? In Seireitei? Can I stay with you?" Her eyes were hesitant, vulnerable.

"With me?" Hisagi felt his face grow hotter. "You're a human. Why would you want to leave your world before your time?"

Keiki laughed. It was a desperate, hopeless sound. _So different from how she laughed before…_, he thought. He resisted the urge to smooth the twisted expression from her face gently with his hands. If only the room would stop spinning.

"Please. You can't figure out why I want to get the Hell out of here?" Her words jerked him back into the moment.

"You didn't seem like you wanted to go earlier…" Hisagi looked around the apartment. His vision blurred from drink, he took in the lack of furniture. There was a single light bulb screwed into the ceiling for light. He remembered when she had opened the fridge, how empty it had been. With the exception of the sparse modern technology scattered throughout, her apartment looked like one of the worse slums of Rukongai. "You didn't want to go. I remember…why? Why do you want to go now?"

Keiki's cheeks were flushed beneath the faint golden brown of her California tan. Her teeth were a flash of white against the dusky rose of her lips as she smiled lightly. Tentatively, she stretched out her hand to him before letting it fall and turning onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "I was scared."

He laughed. "You? You were followed into an alley by three strange men, and instead of running you just yelled at us. You left the house and went out alone even though you knew there were soul-eating monsters after you. You take your clothes off in front of strangers! You're not scared of anything."

Keiki turned back onto her side to look at him, her lips turning up into a soft smile. "You're sweet." Sitting up, she steadied herself by putting her hand against the wall and taking a deep breath. "Did you know? They call Los Angeles the 'City of Angels.'"

Hisagi couldn't hold back his laugh. "What?! No way. This place is disgusting!" He sat up next to her, leaning his head back against the wall and trying to settle his spinning head.

Keiki scowled and pushed him slightly, laughing when he fell over onto his side. "It's the name. Los Angeles. 'The Angels'. It's Spanish."

Hisagi scowled. English had been hard enough to learn. "You didn't answer my question."

Keiki turned his head towards her with one small, cool hand. "How about that."

For the second time since they had met, he felt the need to feel her body against his. His ears buzzed from liquor and the faintest scent of the flowery shampoo she used. Careful not to grab her too roughly, he slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her towards him. "You're beautiful."

"Shut up." Leaning forward, she kissed him gently, lightly biting his bottom lip before pulling away and resting her forehead against his. "I feel safer with you than I ever have before. Don't make me stay here."

His entire body on fire, Hisagi pulled her the rest of the way onto his lap, gingerly holding her face in his rough hands. He kissed her softly once, holding himself back from devouring the pout of her lips. She sighed softly, the quiet sound driving away the last of his self-control.

**********************

The slippery silk of her dress was cool against the bare skin of his chest, her body crushed against his. She ran her hands up his stomach, grasping his hands in hers and guiding them down her body. He took his time, appreciating each curve, pressing his lips against her neck and taking in her scent. His hands reached her hips, her dress pulled high on her thighs from sitting on his lap. His body screamed to feel her bare skin against his, every nerve ending on fire as she shifted in his lap and whimpered gently.

Finding her lips again, he lightly held the weight of one soft breast in his hand, his thumb tracing slow circles until it reached the center. The soft sigh of her response burned low in his stomach, his body tightening. Keiki ran one hand back down his chest lazily before using it to stroke his thigh and finally slip it down to grip his length in one small hand. He growled, his jeans uncomfortably tight as his body responded to her touch.

He looped one hand around a slim thigh, pulling it up as he laid her down on her back. She looked up at him for a moment then began to push his jeans down eagerly, each brush of her hand against him sending a painful throb of pleasure through him. Hisagi slowly slid off her dress, making sure his hands skimmed every curve of her body, brushing his lips along every inch of skin. Every inch of her was smooth, perfect.

Keiki blushed beneath his gaze, turning her head to the side as he hooked his thumbs beneath the lace of her panties and slid them off. Hisagi gripped her chin gently in one hand, turning her head and forcing her to look at him. A flash of fire appeared in her eyes and she pulled him down to kiss him softly, hungrily. Hooking one long leg around his waist, Keiki arched her hips upward, pressing against him. One of his hands strayed to slowly explore between her legs, teasing out where she was most sensitive and grinning at the helpless mewling sounds she made.

Unable to wait any longer, Hisagi pulled Keiki's leg up higher, pressing his tip against her and teasing them both. He skimmed his lips back down to lightly bite one nipple, flicking it with his tongue as he began to press himself inside. The sound of her moans in his ear drove him over the edge and he buried himself inside of her, pulling out slowly before sliding back in, his breath heavy. Keiki gasped for breath each time he drove home, urging him to go faster, harder.

Pulling her with him as he sat up, Hisagi groaned when her lips found his neck again. She was settled into his lap, her hair spilling down her shoulders. Keiki leaned back, arching her back she held onto his neck for balance. Grinding her hips against his, she began to ride him, her eyes locked with his as she began to move her hips in a steady rhythm. He gasped at the feeling of losing control, finally laying back and letting her take over.

Keiki leaned forward, supporting herself with her hands on his chest and closing her eyes. Her movements were tantalizingly slow, her body like fire under his hands. He could feel the pressure building beneath his stomach and sat them back up, burying his face in her chest and neck as she writhed against him. Her entire body quivered as she suddenly came in his arms, a tight explosion of heat. Slamming inside of her quickly, over and over, Hisagi finally let go and buried himself as far inside her as he could, shaking slightly as he came hard.

*******************

She collapsed onto his chest, her face pressed against his neck. Her body still shook slightly, and his arms wrapped around her instinctively. Shifting them both so that they lay side by side, Hisagi buried his face in her hair, cradling her to his chest until she was still. Her hair smelled lightly of flowers, and he ran one hand through it. Twisting it around his fingers, he wondered at how soft it was. Suddenly, she squirmed slightly, pushing against his chest gently.

He let her go immediately, rolling back and supporting himself on one elbow. She sat up and stretched, then rested her arms on her knees. Glancing down at him, she smiled before standing up and pulling on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants cut at the knee. Silently she walked to the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge, using the counter to pop off the top. Hopping up on the counter, she took a long pull and watched him pensively.

Hisagi frowned and stood. Hiking up his jeans, he wandered over to her. Leaning against the counter next to her, he took the beer from her hand and drank from it before handing it back. "What's wrong?"

She smiled. "Nothing. I'm going to go get some air." Hopping off the counter, she rummaged around until she found her pills and shook two out. She swallowed them and wandered out the door. Hisagi jumped up to go after her, reaching out to grab her hand. "Wait! Where are you going?"

Keiki whirled around and jerked her hand away. "I told you, outside. I'm not running away, I just want to breathe for a moment. Alone." Before she could get out the door, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. She struggled to get out of his grasp, glaring up at him. "Hey! Didn't you hear me-"

Hisagi pulled her behind him, suddenly exploding out of his gigai. "There's a Hollow out there."

Keiki ran out after him, throwing up the door to the street and stopping in her tracks. Leaning against the building for support, her breath caught in her throat. The air weighed down on her, pressing her down to her knees. "Wh….What's going on?!"

Hisagi glanced back at her, his face pure rage. 'Get back! You're not a shinigami, no matter how much reaitsu you have! You'll be crushed, get back inside!" The Hollow before him was huge, stronger than the two he had come across already. It roared, the noise shaking the building. Hisagi swore as humans began to flow into the street, shouting about earthquakes. Keiki was pushed aside, her eyes still locked on the scene before her.

Hisagi kept his eyes focused on the monster before him. Its eyes burned red through its mask, and it raised its head to the sky and let out a roar. Hisagi leapt towards the Hollow, grinning as it shot a thin, sharp-looking bladed arm towards him. Slicing through it in one easy movement, Hisagi used the stump that remained to spring up into the air, drawing his zanpakutou as he shot towards the Hollow's mask.

He felt something slam into his side, feeling all the breath rush out of him. He saw stars for a moment. Slamming into the side of a wall, Hisagi turned and used the impact to launch himself forward. His brow furrowed in concentration, he sliced through arm after arm, growling when one clipped his cheek. He felt the warm, sticky blood drip down his cheek and narrowed his eyes at the Hollow.

Jumping back down to the street, he slid backwards from the impact. "Bakudo, #62! Hyapporankan!" A rod of reiatsu appeared in his hand, with a roar, he shot it towards the Hollow. Several rods split off from it, twisting around each other before piercing the Hollow's arms to pin it to the ground. The Hollow roared out, it's reiatsu flaring. Behind him, Keiki screamed in pain. Hisagi glanced back at her and stared in shock.

Her body was crumpled in on itself, and she gasped for air. And yet he could feel the strong pulse of her reiatsu, see it glowing on her skin. Surrounded by a faint yellow light, Keiki's body protected itself from the oppressive weight of the Hollow's reiatsu. Hisagi could feel it from where he stood, a warm feeling as if he had been lying in the sun. Turning his attention back to the Hollow, he exploded back into the air.

His zanpakutou flashed through the air, slicing clean through the Hollow's mask. Skidding to a stop mid-air, Hisagi glanced down to see a huge piece of debris falling towards Keiki. Calling her name, he shot down towards her. Even so, he could see that he would be too late. Looking up in fear, she opened her mouth to scream and crossed her arms in front of her face.

An explosion of yellow light burst out, blinding Hisagi. When it faded, Keiki stared up at him in shock. Her physical body lay at her feet, and her tiny frame was lost inside a large shihakusho. Held horizontally in her hands was a long, elegant zanpakutou.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I must emphasize (as I have forgotten to earlier) that the only character original to this story is Keiki. **The rest of the characters and the world of Soul Society/the Shinigami are all the work of Tite Kubo.**

Also, thank you to everyone for all the reviews/adds! I honestly am writing this fic purely for my own enjoyment, but I love that other people are enjoying it too.

CHAPTER SIX

Hisagi stared down at Keiki in shock. The huge chunk of brick and glass that had broken off from her building and fallen towards her was gone. Reduced into dust by the sheer power of her reiatsu. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her thick black curls whipping around her face as the uncontrolled chaos of her spiritual power exploded from her body all at once. Hisagi could feel it from where he stood, pouring out of her, already beyond her control. He could hear her screams from where he stood.

"_If she doesn't control it, it will tear her body apart."_ The second the thought flashed through his mind, he was at her side. His body felt heavy, her power pressing in around his body from all sides. He managed to gather her into his arms, pressing his lips against her ear. She had to learn how to control it before it destroyed her. He had to teach her how, and it could not wait.

"Keiki…breathe. Relax, breathe. You need to listen to me, and do exactly as I tell you. Or you will drain your body of all its spirit power, and you will die."

Keiki's entire body was screaming at her. She could feel Hisagi's arms around her, hear his words like a soft whisper in her ear, and she took a deep breath. She used his body as an anchor, oriented her to his voice.

"Focus. I want you to close your eyes, and imagine a pinpoint of black. Imagine the black spreading, pressing down like a seal, suppressing what you feel happening to you right now."

Keiki could barely comprehend the language he was speaking. She took another deep breath, trying to focus on his words. _'A seal…let the black spread…' _She could feel her power burning out of her, her body on fire from it. It was a living thing, outside of her control. It felt white-hot. Spidery black threads, ribbons of control began to spread out from her heart. Letting out a soft cry, she fell forward out of Hisagi's arms, her hands pressing on the pavement as she tried to keep herself up. Her cry became a scream as she felt herself slowly begin to stop the flow, draw it back within herself. Then, her world went black and warm, and she fell.

* * *

Hisagi couldn't keep her in his arms. Her reiatsu was draining; he could feel how little time she had left. Pushed back by the force of it, he could only watch as she began to scream. The flow became weaker, and he felt a wave of despair flood through him. Suddenly, he realized that it was because she was gaining control, taming her reiatsu and slowing the flow. Relief flooded through him. Exhausted, Keiki finally crumpled and returned to her body. Picking her up into his arms, Hisagi carried her inside.

Luckily, her apartment had survived the attack. Hisagi slowly lay her down on the mattress, slipping off her jeans and finding a sheet to cover her. She would sleep for hours after expending that much reiatsu at once. Suddenly she whimpered softly, the sound filling him with a strange combination of lust and a driving need to protect her. Deciding to stay with both instincts, Hisagi crawled into the bed beside her and gathered her soft, warm body into his arms. Breathing in her scent, he smiled and closed his eyes.

It was impossible for him to sleep. The soft warmth of her breath against his neck, the way her body moved against his as she shifted in her sleep. It was impossible to ignore the soft whimpers she made as she slept. Hisagi couldn't help but smile at the soft flush of color on her cheeks. _'Better enjoy it now…'_ Hisagi tried to imagine Keiki letting him see her this vulnerable state. The image of the scowling, sarcastic girl letting ANYONE protect her brought a smirk to his face. _'Not fucking likely.' _Hisagi pressed his face against her hair, his eyes slowly drifting closed.

* * *

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was how warm she was. Shifting her body, she furrowed her brow when she realized she wasn't alone. Strong arms imprisoned her, pinned her against a firm chest. Glancing up, Keiki saw Hisagi. His face relaxed with sleep and his hair rumpled, he looked like a little boy. A smile flitted across her face before she could stop it, her chest filling with a strange emotion. Pushing it down, Keiki allowed herself another moment of enjoying the feel of his arms, the warmth of his body against hers. Carefully, she extracted herself, stretching her body and getting dressed for a run.

When she returned, he was still sleeping. Not wanting to bother him, Keiki stretched her body until her muscles felt strong, relaxed. Sitting down and folding her legs inward and gripping her ankles, Keiki bent forward and smiled at the wonderful feeling of her back stretching. It reminded her of the easy, fluid ballet she had done when she was much younger. Innocent. Still whole. Glancing back at Hisagi, she stood up and stretched her hands above her head. Tentatively, she bent her knees then extended them, rising to her toes.

Going through movements learned as a much younger girl, all of the tension and stress from the past few days melted away. Closing her eyes, Keiki began to slowly dance without music, her every movement filled with grace. Pulled into the pure joy of dance, she forgot Hisagi was there. She let her hair out and breathed in, closing her eyes. Unwittingly, she brought to her mind the black seal she had put over her heart. She could feel it, still inside beneath the ribbons of control. It made her entire body feel warm, and she smiled.

_Yes…I'm here. Come meet me, Keiki. _

She jerked out of her haze at the unfamiliar voice. It was light, airy, a woman's voice…no, a girl. A girl with a voice full of strength and wisdom. Opening her eyes, Keiki suddenly felt cold, cut off from something important. Sitting on the floor to stretch, she sought out the image once more, smiling when the warmth returned. Taking a deep breath, she tried to hold onto it. She folded her legs up against her chest and rested her head on her knees, eyes still closed.

"Keiki."

His voice sent a shock through her, and she lost it. Once more her body was cold without it, but an unfortunate blush ran through her at the sound of Shuuhei's voice. Turning her head up to look straight at him, she opened her eyes. "Hi. What's happening to me?" Keiki would not think about what had happened the night before. She would not think about the way his hands had felt, and how sweet he had been afterward.

That was too dangerous.

"_Keiki." _He wanted to talk about what happened, she could hear it.

She glared. "That is not an answer to my question! I asked you what is happening to me!" Standing up, she stormed toward the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "I know what you want to talk about, Shuuhei. And we will not be talking about it, do you understand?"

Shuuhei was glaring at her. Keiki felt her self blush, and finally looked away under the scrutiny and heat of his gaze.

Finally she heard him sigh and walk towards her. She refused to look at him, not even when she felt his arms wrap around her. Keiki inhaled deeply, his scent comforting and already familiar. _Dangerous._ His breath was warm on the top of her head; she could feel him placing a kiss there.

_Much too dangerous._

* * *

He had opened his eyes at the sound of the door closing. He had watched her get caught up in the movement of her own body, enjoyed seeing her dance. It was beautiful, elegant in a way that he did not know dance could be. And as he watched her, he felt the subtle pulse of her reiatsu.

_She's communicating with her spiritual body…without being taught how._

It was amazing. How much she had been able to achieve through simple, clumsy effort. _Training might not take so long after all...then I can go back to Soul Society._

"…_In Seireitei? Can I stay with you?"_

Then he remembered. Her scent, the sounds she made when he touched her, the soft ebony black of her curls. The way her body moved against his, her skin so smooth and hot under his rough hands.

"_Don't make me stay here."_

He had to say something, because they had to talk. Anything unspoken between a student and their master would get in the way of training. _Her teacher…That's right. Training._

"Keiki." He quietly breathed her name, feeling the moment that her reiatsu fled the room, back under her full control. She turned to him, a quiet fear in her eyes. He held her gaze as she stormed through the apartment, fighting a smirk at her nervous babbling. "Keiki."

He couldn't help but wrap his arms around her. He inhaled deeply, the flowery scent that he would always associate with her hair from now on. Planting a soft kiss on the top of her head, he took a step back from her and grinned. "It's time to train. We'll talk it out while we train. Sound fair?"

He suppressed a smirk at the stubborn set of her mouth and just grabbed her hand. Pulling her body up against his, he pulled out a small screen.

"What is that?"

"Same 12th Squad technology we use to track Hollows. This is going to help us get to the training site."

"Training site?" Hisagi felt an odd tug in his chest at the puzzled expression on her face. It was…adorable. He had never though of her as adorable before.

"Yeah, like I said…it's time to train. You were the one going on about how long it'd take us to get there, so we should go."

Keiki frowned up at him and struggled out of his arms. "What the FUCK are you talking about?" Shoving hard against his chest, she kicked he necessary for me to, oh I don't know, PACK and get a tent, and supplies since we're going to be in the middle of a DESERT for however the fuck long this is going to take? Or did you maybe for-"

Hisagi grinned and pulled her toward him. "Don't worry about it. You'll see when we get there." With a burst of shunpo, Hisagi carried her out the window and began bursting through the city, covering far distances in an instant. Keiki pulled her body up close against his, her hands gripping his chest. She hadn't noticed that he had left his physical form until she looked down and saw that her hands were tangled in the cloth of his little outfit.

_He's still warm…weird._

* * *

Death Valley is miles from Los Angeles. It would normally take days to get there by car, but Keiki was surprised to discover that Shuuhei had gotten them there by sunset. He stared down into her eyes, bringing a sudden blush to her face at the intensity of his gaze. Her bare feet sank into the soft sand of the desert as he set her down. They were standing in front of a large sphere of glowing opaque energy. Curious, Keiki pressed her hand against it. Turning back to look at Shuuhei, she frowned.

"What is that on your hand? Some sort of crazy biker glove?"

He only continued to grin, stretching his hand inside the device that would allow him to force her spiritual body out so that they could train. "Not hardly. Ready?"

Keiki didn't get a chance to answer. Shuuhei slammed his gloved fist through her chest, forcing a gasp of surprise from her lips. Her body crumpled to her feet and she stared down at it, and then looked at herself. She was dressed almost exactly like Shuuhei, except not only was she drowning in the robes of a shinigami, but hers had sleeves. The shinigami picked up her physical body and took her hand.

"Come on."

Keiki growled with frustration. "Wait just a goddamn minute, will you?! When did you become so bossy?! And why won-"

His lips were on hers suddenly, possessing them with tiny bites at her bottom lip. He held it lightly between his teeth before diving in to kiss her deeply again until she stopped struggling. Pulling back, he stared down at her. "You're in a spiritual form. You don't need all your girly trappings. Seireitei and the Gotei 13 have provided us with everything we need." He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and running one hand through her hair to hold her by the back of her neck. "This is when you find out what is happening to you."

Keiki sighed and relaxed against him, remembering her panic the night before and his strong arms around her. Pulling back, she looked up at him and nodded slowly. "Ok. I'm sorry. Just…try to give a girl a bit of warning before you go dragging her all over the place next time, ok?"

He laughed and nodded, then took her hand. Together they walked through the energy field that would protect them from the harsh weather of the desert and keep any stray humans who might be camping nearby away. Keiki took in the sight of the training area, her face furrowed in confusion. "We're supposed to survive Death Valley just by sleeping in that one tent?"

Hisagi shrugged. "You're not in your physical body anymore, like I said. That combined with the kidou field is more than enough." Glancing down at her, he felt his stomach suddenly tighten in desire. The shihakusho that she wore was slipping off of one shoulder, leaving the creamy pale skin beneath exposed.

Not thinking, he let his hand wander down to bare her other shoulder. Her skin was soft, and he suddenly couldn't help but want to trace every inch of it with his lips. Letting her go and clearing his throat, he turned away. _TRAINING. You haven't brought her out here for a little desert romance and the pleasure of her company._

"Go find a rock to sit on. We're going to start your training now, ok?"

* * *

Once again, thank you for all the adds, alerts, reads and reviews-more lemon and fancy training montages next chapter! It should also be coming along a bit faster.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Once again, thanks for the reviews-a request was made for more Keiki POV, and so…well, ask and ye shall receive. This is the part of the story where she becomes a shinigami, and trains and so it will be heavy on the action.

When I am writing from her POV, Hisagi will be referred to as 'Shuuhei', as that is how she, an American, would think of it. When writing from his POV, I'll refer to him as Hisagi.

I'm find myself to be very bad at action, and it very well might suck. If it does, PLEASE leave a review with any tips you may have? I'll give you a present.

I do not own _**Bleach**_ or any of the characters; only this plot and the character of Keiki are my own.

************

Even within the spell cast over the training area, Keiki could feel the sun against her skin as it sank lower in the sky. _It must always be in the high 100s out there. Until the sun sets, at least._ At the thought of nights in the desert, she scowled. _Sleeping on the fucking ground…I hate camping._ Keiki had never left L.A. before, and the prospect of not being indoors at nighttime terrified her. Spiritual body or not, the ground was not a pleasant place to sleep. _That is why people invented mattresses. Or maybe they don't have those in fuck-_

A sudden, hard rap of wood to the top of her head brought a scowl to Keiki's face. Glancing up, her defiant glare met Shuuhei's stern gaze as she rumpled one small hand through the mess of black curls that she had piled on top of her head to keep cool. "What was that about?"

His face was impassive. "You, and your wandering brain. You're supposed to be concentrating."

Keiki glared at him. They hadn't been there long, and already she was regretting agreeing to come with him. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to find the seal that she had placed over her power. This is all they had done for the past hour or so-she would sit on the rock and think, and he would watch. Impossibly, he always seemed to know the exact moment her mind wandered off task.

_RAP._

Keiki opened her eyes and glared at Shuuhei again. "It's getting darker. It'll be cold soon. Can't we do something else? I thought you were going to be teaching me how to defend myself, and all I've been doing since we got here is sit on some goddamn-"

His face was suddenly close to hers, his breath warm against her face. "Keiki."

Keiki swallowed and jumped back, struggling to keep the scowl fixed on her face. "What?"

He grinned and leaned back, catching her by the wrist and pulling her to her feet in the process. "Fine. Maybe you'll like this type of training better."

Keiki almost immediately fell to her knees as all the blood suddenly rushed back into her legs. She caught the smirk that flashed across his face at her clumsiness. Her heart skipped a beat, immediately followed by a strong flash of irritation. _That boy is too sexy for his own damn good._ Her job required a certain level of detachment from the opposite sex, and Keiki had thought she'd perfected it. Shuuhei had managed to find all the little cracks in the walls she had put up, and it unsettled her.

"Keiki!" Shuuhei's admonishment brought her back out of her reverie, and she looked at him. He had stepped into some kind of martial arts stance, and it brought a smile to her face. "Finally! Teach me to be Buffy!"

The confused look on his face made her laugh. "Forget it." There was no way she was going to try and explain the concept of a 'Vampire Slayer' to the shinigami. Instead, she mimicked his stance and put on her best war face. "I'm ready!"

"I can see that. You look very frightening. Now, come at me, and we will begin your training in _hakuda_, hand-to-hand combat."

Keiki grinned and ran forward. She had taken a local self-defense course, a necessity for a girl in her profession who lived alone. Pulling one hand back to her hip, she thrust it forward towards Shuuhei's nose palm first. "HA!"

Simply leaning his head to one side, the shinigami grabbed her hand and yanked her in against his chest with a grin, then pushed her backwards. Falling smack on her ass, Keiki glared up at him. "Stand up, let's try again. This time, wait until the last moment to draw your hand back. Otherwise you are announcing your attack before it begins. The power of that particular strike comes not only from the initial thrust, but from the follow-through-remember that."

Nodding, Keiki picked herself up and began again.

****************

All they did was train. The moment the sun began to rise, he was dragging her out of bed to train her in _hakuda_. After pummeling technique and speed into her body and muscles, he would sit her back down on her rock, his wooden training sword smacking into her skull every time her mind wandered-which was often.

They would eat, then return to _hakuda_-every moment of the day was committed to honing her spiritual and physical skills. He had begun to teach her the art of the sword, which she picked up with surprising speed. Every night she would collapse in her tiny tent, her body exhausted and bruised.

"What I don't understand is how you could have accessed your power so easily in your apartment, yet FAIL CONSTANTLY out here!"

Shuuhei had never lost his temper with her, and it took Keiki aback. Standing up, she poked her finger into his chest. "Well, if I could do it on my own, then maybe it is YOU who fails! You are the one who is a failure!" Stomping her foot, Keiki took a swing at Shuuhei, who easily dodged.

"You are too antagonistic, that is why you keep failing. You need to be calm if you are going to control your reiatsu. Once you can do that, we can truly begin your training." Blocking her next attack, he used his superior height to his advantage and simply picked her off the ground and carried her to the rock. "This should be easy for you. Don't you remember how you did it before? In your apartment, when you were dancing…what was it you pictured in your mind?"

Keiki frowned, and thought back to the day in her apartment. It seemed like ages ago-as if she had been an entirely different person. They had been in the desert for over a week now, and her body had become a force of destruction. Even she was shocked at how quickly the art of hand-to-hand combat had come to her. Even her movements were different, more fluid and flexible. The way her muscles moved, stretched to their limits…it had been so long since she had pushed her body to the limits. Not since dance school-

"Oh!" Something came back to her, the memory of how her body had stretched into each position, dancing in her apartment with no music. The white field and the black ribbons in her mind. The voice of the wise young girl, and the warmth she had felt…suddenly rising to her feet on the rock, a smile slipped onto her face. "I figured it out." Keiki raised her arms above her body and stretched, her eyes slipping close. Everything around her seemed to disappear, leaving her surrounded by a space of white light. Reaching out her hand, she reached out to grasp a trailing black ribbon.

Following it, she felt the warmth of that day return as she slowly removed the tightly wound ribbons of control from the pulsing power within her. Slowly she released some of it, and then stopped. _I'm doing it…it feels so warm._ Unconsciously she sighed, her body relaxing. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the look on Shuuhei's face.

Aware of a sudden weight, she glanced down at her hand. Within it was the hilt of an elegant, long sword that glinted gold against black jade in the hot Death Valley sun. Lifting the sword, Keiki gasped. It was almost as long as she was tall, but felt as if it had been made for her hand. The blade, despite its length, was thin and delicate and like air in her hand. A thick jade ribbon was tied about the hilt with an elegant handguard that had been worked to look as if it were made of lace.

"Wh…what is this?"

Shuuhei snatched her of the rock and tossed her casually to the ground. A week ago she would have hit the ground with her ass, but after her training she simply landed on her feet. Sliding in the desert sand, she tightened her body into a crouch and coiled her legs, ready to spring if necessary. Instinctively she swung the sword to her side, the air whistling as it was cut through.

"That is your sword. A physical manifestation of your spiritual energy…the weapon every shinigami wields. A zanpakutou." Slowly, Shuuhei unsheathed his own weapon and held it out horizontally. "I am not surprised…yours is very beautiful."

Keiki was surprised to find that his comment made her blush. Since the first day, it had been as if the night they spent together hadn't existed. They slept side-by-side, and at times Keiki would find herself waking up pinned against his chest, but nothing had happened. During the day, all they did was train and he treated her the way a teacher would a favorite student. _And yet all he has to do is call some piece of metal beautiful and it turns me into a schoolgirl. Stupid._

Glancing up, she saw that Shuuhei had also drawn his sword. They had begun training with wooden practice swords the second day and she had been amazed at how easy it had come to her. He stood across from her, his eyes narrowed and filled with intent.

"You can now control how you release your spirit power. It is time for your training to truly begin. From now on, I will not hold back when I attack you-until you can defeat me, we will continue to battle without cease."

**************

The breath suddenly left her, and she almost fell to her knees at the sudden pressure in the air. "Wh-what is that? I feel like…like I can't breathe…"

"This is the full force of my spiritual presence. As yours increases through training, you will no longer be so overpowered by it. Now-"

Shuuhei sliced his zankpakutou through the air and began to walk towards her. "I will not go easy on you, but I abhore unnecessary force. I do not relish the idea of causing you pain-"

Keiki was suddenly in front of him, her eyes fierce with determination even as her body screamed with the pressure of his reiatsu. Shuuhei easily deflected her attack and struck her with the flat side of his sword. Keiki flew across the training field, her feet sliding in the sand until she stopped.

_He's so strong…I can't possibly defeat him!_

He was already there, striking her in the side once again with the flat of his sword. Keiki's coughed as the air left her body.

"What are you doing? Defend yourself. Defend yourself or you will die." His sword flashed through the air, slicing into her cheek. "I will not use the blunt edge of my blade for long."

Keiki jumped back, the turned to see that Shuuhei was already at her side. This time, she blocked his blow with her zanpakutou, twirling in a circle around him as she slid her sword up along the length of his blade. Landing sprightly on her toes, she struck immediately.

Hisagi blocked her strike, grinning as he parried with a blow to her shoulder. Keiki dropped into a low sweep-kick and caught him by surprise. His zanpakutou flashed just in time to block a strike to his throat. Immediately he struck out, landing a shallow cut down from her collarbone to the center of her chest. Each of them retreated backwards, Keiki panting while Shuuhei stood with his sword to his side, watching her impassively.

_I didn't realize how much he had been holding back in training…_ Keiki twirled her blade in a circle at her side, looking at the surroundings. _There is absolutely nothing out here…what can I use-_

Her world suddenly went red and pain blossomed in her right side. Falling to the ground and coughing up blood, Keiki looked up to see Shuuhei standing above her.

"Once again you lack focus, and discipline. Do not let your mind wander when you fight the enemy." Looking up at the sky, he noted that the light had begun to dim. "Stand. We will continue until you can prevent me from cutting you three times."

Keiki slowly dragged herself to her feet, only to be knocked back into a nearby rock. Thick blood spattered almost black against the sand of Death Valley as she fell to her knees. Shuuhei did not let up, landing a blow to her face with the hilt of his sword.

_Get up, Keiki! _

She blinked. There was warmth pulsing through her, giving her the energy to slowly stand and strike at him with a high kick. Shuuhei caught her foot before it hit his face and spun her through the air. Landing on her feet, Keiki raised her blade.

Shuuhei was already in motion, his sword pulled back to tear through her stomach. Her arms twisted into a graceful arc, the ring of their swords clashing echoing through the hot, dry air. She sprang back, her long black curls whipped free and fluttering around her face as she slowly slid to a halt.

"That's one." She managed a ragged grin.

***********

Hisagi stared at the injured girl. To see her in pain and know that he was the cause…it was unbearable. Urahara's voice echoed in his head…

"_You must push her to the edge. Only then will she commune with her zanpakutou…think you can do it, Hisagi-kun?"_

"_Don't ask stupid questions."_

Brought back to the present by a shout from Keiki, Hisagi brought up his blade to block her strike, then pushed her back. She circled him, and he could see her focusing on his body and position, hoping to sense or anticipate his movements.

_She truly has grown incredibly fast…but even an adjuchas could destroy her with ease. She must achieve Shikai for her to be of any use…for her to stay in Soul Society._

He shot forward, ignoring the sound of her ragged, pained breaths and the sight of her blood-spattered face, her torn uniform. When they finished tonight's training, he would heal her wounds so that they could continue the next day. Intent on slicing upwards through her stomach, he drew back his zanpakutou.

Suddenly, he realized why she had been walking in circles around him.

Keiki was pressed against a boulder, and had used it to push off and away from him. Twisting her body mid-air, Keiki caught his blade and scraped her own down along the end of it. He immediately repelled her and countered with a blow to her chest-which she caught with one hand.

"That's two." He could feel it, the strength of her reiatsu growing, steadily but surely. A faint golden glow had begun to emanate from her, and he could sense that she was beginning to withstand the added weight of his immense spiritual presence.

_She is so close…_

Her face was suddenly close to his, the scent of her hair filling his nostrils. This hint of her presence was enough for him to easily block her strike and push her away, but she sprung forward immediately. Hisagi smacked her aside, and then shot after her body, his sword held to the side at the ready.

As he swung, her eyes caught his. He almost lost his breath at the pride and determination he saw there, only broken out of his trance by the shock of her blade hitting his.

"Three." Coughing a shower of blood, Keiki fell to the ground. His arms had caught her before her knees could hit the sand, and he easily lifted her up and held her against his chest. Her breath came in shallow pants, and he could sense that the surge of reiatsu she had found had left her.

"Enough." Setting her down on the ground, he held his hands above her wounds and repaired the more severe damage with kidou. Binding what remained with bandages, he gingerly wrapped them around her slim body, one hand wandering up to rumple her hair. "You have worked hard today."

Keiki opened her eyes and grinned at him. "A compliment from the harsh Shuuhei-sensei? I must be in pretty bad shape." Sitting up gingerly, she looked down at her body. Her upper torso was completely wound with bandages, the robes she wore torn. Glancing at her, Hisagi turned away to hide his blush. _You are a fool, Hisagi Shuuhei_, he thought to himself.

Keiki's hand had instinctively gone to zanpakutou, which he had laid at her side. Hisagi noted this and let out an inward sigh. _She has already begun to form a bond with her blade. Excellent._

"Now who has the wandering brain?" Keiki's hand rested delicately on his arm, then traced upward to cup his face. He had managed to heal the cuts on her face, and her expression was so vulnerable yet so stubborn it made him gather her gingerly into his arms.

"I'm sorry…"

"Idiot. Don't apologize. How else will I grow? There must be women shinigami…do you flinch while training them? Pushing them to their limits?"

"I abhore the violence of it all. Tomorrow, before we resume training you with your zanpakutou, I shall begin your training in kidou."

"And tonight?"

Hisagi looked down at her, the gently pulled her face up to kiss her softly. "Tonight I repair the damage that I did today."

******************

A/N: Next time, some smutty goodness, as well as the discovery of the identity of Keiki's zanpakutou!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Once again ask and ye shall receive…some of you might hate me though, because this is a break in the action. Two one-shots from the time-skip while they were training. One lemon, one that is solely fluff. Maybe even a few that don't really fit into the timeline at all, just because I thought they would be sweet.

So, enjoy and don't ask questions about when it happned.

**************

Bad Romance:

No matter how determined she was, Keiki's body had limits. The first few weeks they had trained, she would collapse after a certain amount of time, and they would have to take a break. Hisagi took this time to go off and train by himself…train and think. Nothing felt better than stretching his muscles, pushing his body to the ultimate limit.

Of course, it was not because being around Keiki made him unable to think. Not because the sight of her body moving through motions he was teaching her brought a sudden rush to his groin. No…the fact that he slept beside Keiki in a tiny tent every night, unable to touch her but longing to…that was not why he spent every moment he was alone exerting energy. The sight of the small curve of her back, the soft skin of the back of her neck…the tight feeling in his stomach that the very sight of her caused. Those were not the things that drove him to train so hard.

Right.

Urahara had installed a hot spring in the training area, allowing both of them to rinse off the sweat and stink of training. When Hisagi finished, he sauntered back over to the campsite.

And there she was, a strange device pounding loud, strange music as she bended her body into contortions he had never imagined possible. His mouth dry, he slowly walked forward, stopping as she twisted her body around until she faced him. Shrieking slightly, she jumped backwards and clapped her arms over her chest. Hisagi walked forward, slowly, his eyes boring into hers and began to imagine running his hands over every inch of her curves. "What are you doing?"

A slow, sultry grin spread across Keiki's face, arms wrapped around her chest, her fingers wrapped around her own shoulders. "I'm practicing. In case I have to go back to my old job."

He scowled, remembering the first time he had seen her. The dirtiness of the club, her beautiful eyes smeared with black kohl and her lips a pouting red. A twisted version of a babydoll with pigtails and lace panties hugging the rounded curve of her ass. "I hate that job."

"Oh?" Letting one hand stretched out to him and gripped his hand. Pulling him towards her, she backed up and then pushed him onto a rock. "Look, but don't touch…and I'll give you a reason to like these particular skills of mine a little more." Backing up, she continued to grin before hitting a button on the machine. The song began again, a sweet sultry voice begging for a bad romance. Keiki raised her hands above her head, turning her back to him as she slowly rotated her hips. A hard bass thumped out and she moved faster, before slowly bending over.

His breath became shallow, his heart pounding in his chest at the display before him. _Thank God that hakama are loose, or I would be fairly uncomfortable right now…_ Arching her body as she slowly stood up she caressed her own bottom then slapped it, the sight sending a strange thrill through him. Finally turning to face him, she raised her arms above her head. Her perfectly round breasts raised high on her chest as she stretched. Her hips continued to twist, until she began to walk forward until she stood in front of him.

Hisagi began to stand, his hands reaching to touch her, feel her skin beneath his hands. Keiki playfully slapped them away, then straddled him and pushed him down. "I said…don't touch." Resting her hands on his shoulders, she leaned back and shook her hair and grinded her hips against him. Slowly she arched back up then slid her bare body against his. Hisagi leaned back and moaned, clenching his hands at his sides and grinding his teeth.

Her lips were on his neck, her hands stroking down his chest. He bit back a protest when she stood, because in the next moment she was sitting on his lap, her arms above her head. "Jesus." Her laughter rang out as she writhed against him. Leaning her head back, she pressed her cheek against his and flicked her tongue up the side of his ear. Groaning, Hisagi exerted all of his energy to keep himself from grabbing her and taking her right there.

Keiki turned around once more, rubbing herself against his hardening cock, her panties hot and damp. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she pulled his head down between her breasts. "Alright…now you can touch."

He growled and nipped the side of one breast before fastening his lips on her nipple. Moaning, she gripped his hands and brought them down to her hips, her lips pressing against his neck and sucking lightly. Bending her back, Hisagi trailed his lips up between her breasts, nipping at each of them. It was impossible to catch his breath. "Fuck, Keiki…" With a sudden snarl he tore at her panties, ripping the fragile lace away from her body and held her up against his chest while pushing his hakama down around his ankles.

Gently laying her down on the rock, he kissed her deeply as he slammed into her. The gasp of pleasure and soft cry urged him on and he gripped her hands in one of his, raising them above her head and pumping his hips harder. Sliding one hand down, he hooked his hand beneath one knee and pulling one of her legs up so he could hit her deeper. _Fuck she's tight, shit I can't get enough of her…_

Keiki's thighs began to twitch, her face flushed but her eyes glued to his. She cried out, rising her hips to meet his and clenching around his cock each time he pulled out. Her voice screaming his name made him slam into her harder, his lower body tightening, pressure building as he grew closer to exploding into her. "Come on, baby…" he whispered against her neck, cupping his hand around her perfect breast and pinching her nipple.

It was enough, and it was his name that she breathed out as her eyes slipped closed and her entire body clenched. Panting and whining, Keiki dug her nails into his shoulders, her pussy pulsating as she came hard, milking his cock dry as he followed her.

Together they lay there, breathing heavily, their bodies sweaty and still burning. Hisagi turned to look at her, a smug grin on his face. "Yeah…I guess there are some good things about your job." Keiki laughed then groaned and sat up.

"Doing it on a rock? Not the best way…" She stretched, and then gave him a coy glance. "Next time…carry me to the tent."

***************

Ferris Wheel

"Remind me what we are doing here?"

"You are in my world, my city right now. And so I am going to show it to you. And then maybe you'll stop complaining. Now let's go!"

"Keiki…it 's almost nighttime. What is that word you used?"

"Dusk. It's dusk. Just look ahead of you, instead of bitching and moaning? You'll see where we're going."

Hisagi turned his eyes to the skyline, and tried to be unimpressed. Once again, the sky was a brilliant mixture of red and purple, orange. The sun was a flash of fire against the horizon. But most impressive was the giant wheel, already lit up with lights and the dark shadow of a strange hill.

"What are those things?"

Keiki tossed back her head and laughed, then began to run, dragging him behind her. "Just stop asking questions! You'll see when we get there, so…let's get there!" Her feet splashed in the surf, but eventually they made it to the faint shadows. They turned into structures, but still nothing he could recognize.

"I still don't know what they are. A giant wheel? And what is that other thing?"

Her laugh rang through the night, chiming bells that brought a strange tightening in his chest. Different than the tightening he felt…elsewhere most of the time he was around Keiki. He turned his head to the side and scowled. "Just tell me what the damn thing is!"

Keiki's face pulled into a mockery of his scowl. "Scary!" Smiling slowly, she grabbed his hand and led him over to a small booth. "It's a Ferris wheel."

"And what does it do?"

Keiki ignored him, tossing her hair and smiling flirtatiously with a teenager in the little booth. Hisagi turned his head away and tried not to scowl. Keiki returned, a roll of red pieces of paper in her hands.

"YOU are a lucky shinigami. We get to ride all the rides, and play the arcade games. Get ready for one of the reasons I want to stay in LA."

Once again she grabbed his hand and pulled. As they walked through the small park, he realized it was some American version of a festival. The games were different, some of them strange but you still won prizes. He wished he could keep his eyes off of the soft curve of her ass as she bent over to throw some wooden ball at holes.

"Are you going to make me watch you do this crap all day?"

Keiki kicked him lightly in the shin. "You just don't like it because you suck at the games. Calm down. We're almost at the best part." All night she had been reaching out for his rough hands. He couldn't believe how small and soft they were, as if she had never worked all her life. Once again he felt that strange tug in his heart.

"We're here!" She ran up to a small booth and handed some of the tickets to the man inside. Turning around to flash him a bright smile, she took both of his hands this time and pulled as she walked backwards.

"You're going to trip if you walk that way!" As if on cue, Keiki fell backwards. Reaching his hand out to grab her arm, Hisagi yanked her against her chest then glared down at her. "Do you think you could at least learn to walk?"

Keiki placed her hands firmly on his chest and pushed herself away. "Will you just get on the damn ride with me?"

Hisagi followed her with his hands held behind his head, glaring to one side. Standing behind her in a slightly long line, he made it a point not to speak to her. He was feeling way too stubborn.

At the end of the line he finally looked ahead. A man with oily hair and exposed belly was occasionally jerking back levers on a machine as odd cars rolled down, swaying from the movement. _I will not be afraid of this pathetic human machine. I have destroyed Hollows. I will not be afraid of this pathetic human machine._

Keiki was already in one of the cars, purposefully rocking it with her held head back as she laughed. Hisagi cautiously got in with her, gripping the two bars attached to the car and looking at her, working as hard as he could to keep his face blank. "Stop that rocking. You're behaving like a child."

The way she tilted her head to the side to study him was too endearing to be coming from a stripper with a mouth like a sailor. A slow, lazy smile began to spread across her face before she leaned forward and slid her hands up his thighs to his chest. Her movements caused the car to rock, and his grip on the bars tightened until his knuckles turned white.

"Are you scared, shinigami? You're a little pale…" As Keiki went back to her seat, the car swayed once again. "Ah, the look on your face is just priceless." Whipping out a thin, black phone she leaned back and held it in front of her face, the back facing him.

"What are you doing?"

"Hahaha, taking a video of you on this thing."

Hisagi turned his head to the side and crossed his hands behind his head and looked to the side. Before he could say the snide comment that had come into his head, he caught sight of the view and pressed his hands against the glass. "Holy shit."

Keiki smiled softly and pulled her knees up under her chin, just watching him. For once the rough expression on his face had softened into something different, a boyish awe. "That is what we're doing here."

**************


End file.
